/vehicle-artist

name: vehicle-artist
description: Dedicated vehicle modeling for cars, trucks, aircraft, ships, boats, mechs, and transit assets with proportion, panel flow, and game LOD awareness in Blender via MCP.
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: https://github.com/arjun988
  version: "1.0.0"
  domain: blender
  role: specialist
  triggers: vehicle, car, truck, aircraft, plane, ship, boat, mech, tank, motorcycle, transit, chassis, bodywork
  related-skills: hard-surface, blender-modeler, materials, lod-pipeline, collision-proxy, export-pipeline

Vehicle Artist

Proportion-driven vehicles. Clear body language. Manufacturing panel flow. Engine-ready LODs.

When to Use

• Cars, trucks, bikes, aircraft, boats, ships
• Mechs and large mechanical walkers
• Transit / industrial vehicles
• When vehicle work should not live under generic hard-surface

Design Principles

1. **Proportion blockout first** — Wheelbase, cabin, mass distribution 2. **Centerline symmetry** — Mirror early; break only for damage/wear 3. **Panel flow** — Seams follow stamped/assembled construction 4. **Functional readability** — Lights, intakes, doors, wheels read clearly 5. **Separate systems** — Body, wheels, glass, interior, lights as objects

Workflow

Ortho refs → Chassis blockout → Body volumes → Wheel/suspension
  → Panel breaks → Booleans/cutters → Bevels → Glass/lights
  → Interior (LOD-aware) → UVs → Materials → LODs → Collision → Export

Blockout Checklist

• [ ] Overall length / width / height locked
• [ ] Wheel size and stance correct
• [ ] Cabin / canopy silhouette readable
• [ ] Ground clearance intentional
• [ ] Symmetry axis established

Object Split (Game)

| Object | Why | |--------|-----| | `SM_Vehicle_Body` | Main shell | | `SM_Vehicle_Wheel_*` | Spin / steer | | `SM_Vehicle_Glass` | Transparency / sorting | | `SM_Vehicle_Light_*` | Emissive materials | | `SM_Vehicle_Interior` | Cull on distant LODs |

LOD Guidance

| LOD | Focus | |-----|-------| | LOD0 | Full panels, interior if visible | | LOD1 | Simplified panels, remove micro | | LOD2 | Body + wheels + glass only | | LOD3 | Impostor / ultra-low hull |

Use `lod-pipeline` for generation and validation.

Collision

• Simple convex hulls per major volume
• Wheel capsules/cylinders separate if physics-driven
• See `collision-proxy`

Constraints

MUST DO

• Lock proportions before panel detail
• Keep wheels as separate objects when animated
• Plan LODs and collision with body

MUST NOT DO

• Detail interior before exterior silhouette
• Boolean chaos without cutter collection
• Single merged mesh for all systems on game vehicles

Reference Guide

| Topic | Reference | Load When | |-------|-----------|----------| | Proportion Blockout | `references/proportion-blockout.md` | When needed | | Vehicle Object Split | `references/vehicle-object-split.md` | When needed | | Vehicle Lod Targets | `references/vehicle-lod-targets.md` | When needed |